The Social Security Administration increased Social Security payments by 2.5% in January 2025 due to the annual COLA adjustment. This adjustment ensures that payments match the rising cost of living and that recipients receive enough.
Now, the recipients can expect another boost in the Social Security payments due to the Social Security Fairness Act becoming a law. So, the recipients wondering about another boost in their Social Security payments can learn everything about the boost here.
Will Social Security increase again in 2025?
Yes, Social Security will again increase in 2025 due to the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, which eliminates the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and government pension offset (GPO) provisions. The federal government passed the Social Security Fairness Act law on January 5, 2025, providing relief to many recipients who have been fighting for this law.
According to reports, around 3.2 million people were affected due to the WEP and GPO provisions because it affected their benefit payout as they receive both the non-covered pensions or Social Security pension under WEP and survivor’s benefit under GPO provisions. With the elimination, the recipients who have been receiving the reduced payout will receive the full payment, which will increase their payment.
The administration is also distributing the one-time retroactive payment to recipients to compensate them for the reduced benefit due to the WEP and GPO provisions. According to the Social Security Administration notice, the candidates can expect the increase in the payout from April 2025.
Who will receive the Social Security 2025 increased payments?
According to the Social Security Administration, which released an update and newly enforced law, the following recipients will experience the increase in their payout:
- Police officers, teachers, and firefighters in many US states affected due to the WEP and GEO provisions;
- People who receive a pension from other work that is not covered under the Social Security taxes or covered by a foreign Social Security System;
- The federal employees whose retirement covers under the Civil Service Retirement System;
The SSA is sending the notice to the affected recipients about the retroactive payments and the increased benefit payout to inform them about their boosted payout. The administration has sent the notice to almost all the recipients about the retroactive payment, and for increased payments, some may expect the notice soon.
How much will your Social Security payment increase?
The Social Security recipients who were affected due to the WEP and GPO provisions can expect the increase in their payout from April 2025. This will be their full payment that they deserve as per their eligibility of the benefit.
According to the administration, around 3.2 million recipients will experience an increase of up to $1000 to $1100 in their monthly Social Security payment. The recipients should understand that the payout also depends on your circumstances and other factors, so the hike may vary from person to person based on their situation affecting their payment.
Do you have to do anything to receive the Social Security increased payment?
As per the SSA, the recipients who have been receiving the reduced social security payment due to the GPO and WEP provisions would automatically experience the increase in their payment. However, if the recipient has any circumstances change that can affect their payment, they should immediately inform the administration about it.
The recipients should ensure their mailing address or direct deposit is updated on the SSA account to receive the timely payments. The US citizens who never claimed the Social Security benefit due to the WEP and GPO provisions, reduced payment, can apply now for the benefits to receive the full benefits.
You can apply for the respective benefits on the SSA website, or you can visit the SSA regional office to learn about your eligibility and claim the benefit. People who are skeptical if they have applied for the retirement or spousal benefit or not can call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 on business days from 9 AM to 6 PM.
According to the Social Security update as of February 28, 2025, the administration has received more than 68,000 new applications for the Social Security benefits since the Social Security Fairness Act became a law. The administration has already processed 72% of the application, meaning that from April 2025, new recipients will receive their payment.
Update on Social Security Retroactive payment
The Social Security Administration has shared the update on retroactive payment as they move to implement the Social Security Fairness Act. As per the update, the administration has already processed the retroactive payment of around $7.5 billion to 1,127,723 recipients; that is, 20% of adjustments are processed as of March 3, 2025.
According to the SSA, the average payment that the recipients have received so far is $6710. The recipients should understand the one-time retroactive payment is the due payment that recipients were deprived of due to the WEP and GPO provisions from January 2025 as the provision was in effect till December 2023.
The Social Security Administration is taking every measure to implement the Social Security Fairness Act as soon as possible and provide relief to the affected recipients. The major challenge for the administration is to adjust the benefit of one year and pay all the one-time payments.
The increased payment will be in effect from April 2025, so the recipients who were affected or haven’t applied due to the GPO and WEP provisions should be ready for the increase or payment they deserve.